


Whose woods these are

by Narial



Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen, Naruto
Genre: Crossover, Dimension Travel, Gen, Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22111522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narial/pseuds/Narial
Summary: Team 8 gets...diverted, and ends up both far away and closer to home.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 475
Collections: Dreaming of Sunshine Exchange 2019 B, Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection





	Whose woods these are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VagabondDawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VagabondDawn/gifts).



Shino automatically shifts to absorb the impact of landing, then straightens and looks around to see _white_. His kikaichu are already spreading out to take stock of their new environment. The temperature is sub-optimal; he will have to account for delays in their communication and flight speeds. Not cold enough to cause concern though. Land of Iron perhaps, or northern Lightning. Tall evergreens dot the flat landscape, their boughs sinking under the weight of snow and tops glittering with needles sheathed in ice catching the dawn light. Kiba and Hinata are taking stock as well, having backed into a manji formation. Akamaru lands softly and immediately starts to sniff in a scouting pattern, carefully using chakra to keep from sinking. 

Hinata only confirms what he has already realized. “We’ve been transported. No chakra wielders closer than point six four kilometers away, and those are just above civilian." The veins at her temples shift, though her head doesn't move. "Ah, I’m having trouble seeing beyond a kilometer.” 

Shino tenses and Kiba bursts out, “Were you hit by something? That scum! I knew we shouldn’t have trusted-“

“N-no! I’m fine!”

“If you have been injured, it is logical to tell us so we can incorporate it in our planning.”

“I wasn’t injured! My eyes are fine,” Hinata emphasizes. Her voice quiets to its usual volume, “I might be wrong, but I think it’s something in the landscape.” 

Shino frowns, hidden behind his high collar. His kikaichu haven’t found any traces of their deceitful employer or the seal that brought them here, and Kiba is too loud to have smelled anyone nearby. It appears they are alone for now.

Time to scout and make a plan to get back to Konoha. The mission is a failure through no fault of their own. He doesn’t recognize the terrain from any map, though maps of other nations are notoriously unreliable. He hopes they aren’t in northern Earth or Lightning, but wherever it is they have a long trip ahead of them. At least they appear uninjured and were able to stay together. He starts heading for the nearest trees and, without a word, his teammates fall in sync. They are good allies.

They patrol close to the clearing first, looking for any signs they may have missed, hard as it is to imagine something could have evaded them, then start cautiously branching out. Hinata leads them in the direction of the people she saw earlier. If they can find a village or even observe their clothing, they can better place themselves on the map. They creep onto branches overlooking a small collection of scattered tents and settle in to observe. It appears to be a group of children, maybe genin, just waking up and starting to fumble with taking down the tents. A head of spiky black hair pokes out of one of the tents, followed by an incongruously familiar yellow coat. Shino feels himself chill, even though he is regulating his temperature with chakra. He flushes a burst of chakra through his coils with a silent _kai!_ , and when that doesn’t work, instructs his kikaichu to make a measured alteration to his blood chemistry. Both Hinata and Kiba have noticed his actions and undergone their own check for genjutsu, and he knows Hinata would not be fooled by anyone less than a true master.

Impossibly, the scene has not changed. As a final check, he sends a kikaichu to communicate with her’s. It’s a risk, but how has she even come here? Was she kidnapped? He’ll have to take her with them. His kikaichu start a low buzzing hum under his skin, whining higher with his agitation.

She looks up. The girl standing next to her ( _too close, since when…?_ ) follows her gaze, fluffy orange hair tipping back.

“Shino-nii!” Her smile is wide and honest. It strikes him almost as hard as her presence here at all, because she hasn’t smiled like that outside of the clan compound in months. He can sense Hinata and Kiba staying hidden, confused but watchful nearby. He drops down beside her and shunshins them both away from the camp. “Chiya-chan, how did you get here?” They have no need for identifying phrases. 

Chiyako starts to look alarmed as she senses his pheromones. “Did you just get back from a mission? What’s wrong?” 

Shino makes an effort to calm himself. Whatever is going on, Chiya-chan doesn’t seem upset and there are no enemy shinobi nearby. “Yes, I am here from a mission. We need to get back to Konoha.”

Chiyako gives him an uncertain look. “Ah, ok, the teachers should be back soon anyway.” 

She turns back to the camp. Chiyako sinks into the snow with every step, and Shino itches to pick her up and _run_ , back to his team and away from here, but he forces himself to settle. There is obviously more going on here and he needs information. 

Iruka-sensei has indeed arrived, and looks at Shino in surprise. “Shino-kun! Has something happened?” 

Shino doesn’t waste time, “The wisteria which falls in autumn rises in the moonlight, bees hover, six waves lap at the shore.” 

It can’t be helped. Iruka-sensei’s eyes have sharpened, but he responds, “Seven hounds in the hills, nine birds on the wing, snow blankets the lee.” Shino relaxes at the words, and Hinata and Kiba jump down to join him. “Has something happened Shino-kun?” Iruka-sensei asks. His eyes flick to Chiyako, then briefly to Hinata.

“No, we are here for a mission.” Shino choses his response carefully. “If it is not too much trouble, we would like to accompany you back to the village.”

“You weren’t shown…? Well, of course, we were just heading out.”

The rest of the Academy students have finished packing up the tents by now and are lined up. They make an odd procession through the trees, the children chattering and the adults solemn as they wind their way in the opposite direction Team 8 came from. Hinata has a small frown and her byakugan still active. She mumbles “barrier” low enough for only their team to hear it. Only a couple minutes of walking brings them to a shimmering wall rising up, up to the sky and gently curving overhead. Iruka-sensei doesn’t hesitate, striding to the wall and placing a tag on it. Under the paper the barrier ripples, then rises like a curtain to create an archway. “All right,” he calls, “You know the drill, go through in twos now please.” The students go through first, then Iruka motions for Shino, Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru to go. 

They step through and freeze, barely leaving room for Iruka to squeeze out behind them. Shino blinks behind his glasses, taking in the sight of the Hokage mountain and Konoha buildings poking over the Hashirama trees. He looks back. There is a shimmering barrier behind them, like a translucent soap bubble, iridescent as fly wings. They appear to be in a training ground on the outskirts of the village. The Academy students are behind a line of older kunoichi wearing black vests. One of them with kind eyes steps forward as Iruka-sensei ducks around and rejoins his students. “You wouldn’t mind coming down and helping us sort this out, would you?” 

Kiba starts, “Yo, you’re Shikamaru’s mom!”

“Hello Kiba-kun,” she responds. Hinata and Shino exchange looks, then follow. They walk to the village and enter a double-story building with desks along the walls and more kunoichi sorting through paper files or writing reports. “Pardon the mess, it can get a bit hectic around here. Let’s move into the meeting room.” As the door shuts, silencing seals activate, blocking out the office noise. Yoshino pulls out a fresh scroll, “Could you report what lead to you being in the biosphere?”

Shino blinks, grateful again for the concealment his outfit provides. “We were on a mission outside the village…” Yoshino stills “…and need to report to the mission desk.” Shino recognizes Yoshino Nara now, but the vests are unfamiliar and he needs to report to the proper authorities. Yoshino pushes her chair back, “Of course, I’ll escort you to the Hokage tower.” Shino can’t bring himself to say he knows the way.

At the tower Yoshino steps past the mission desk and heads up the stairs, Team 8 following. She speaks briefly with the secretary, and they settle in to wait. When they’re called in, Tsunade takes one look at them and makes an aborted reach for the bottom desk drawer. “Yoshino-san.” She motions for her to go ahead. 

“Tsunade-sama, at dawn, we responded to an automated alert at the biosphere. Barrier integrity was undamaged, and no additional alerts were raised. We proceeded to the entrance and met up with Iruka-sensei and his class as they were exiting, followed by these four. They came by the station, but said they needed to report from a mission so we came here.” 

Tsunade turns to Team 8 expectantly. Shino inappropriately feels like taking a step back, but gamely starts to give their report. Tsunade listens impassively with her fingers laced under her chin. “…A seal, you say. Could you describe it?” Partway through the report, a young jonin appears near Yoshino-san, with a chakra signal so inoffensively small it has to be masked and a Nara mon on her shoulder. “Shikako will be assigned to helping you return home, but in the meantime she’ll find you lodging. “ The jonin gives a small wave.

Shino shifts, “Return home?”

Tsunade looks sympathetic, “Well, it’s obvious you’re not from _this_ Konoha. Your report is proof enough of that, since our Team 8 was never assigned that mission, though it must be similar for the identification codes to match up. Still, you’re Konoha nin, and we’ll do our best to take care of you.” 

This does not make Shino feel better. Much, anyway. At least she seems to know what is going on. He can feel Hinata and Kiba’s shock in their stillness. What does that even mean? A different Konoha? The differences are piling up, but surely there is a simpler solution.

They numbly follow Shikako out through the streets and into the Uchiha district. Instead of a derelict compound, the streets are clean and the houses cared for. Most are empty, but he sees signs that at least some are occupied including healthy potted plants and a napping orange tabby on someone's porch. Shikako brings them to a stop in front of one of the empty houses and gestures for them to enter, then starts to make tea in the kitchen. 

“You are likely Yoshino-san’s daughter. Why? Because you share features, and you are named similarly to Shikaku-san.” Shino opens, curious to find out more about their helper. She seems to be their age, but he does not recognize her.

She smiles, seeming to understand what he's getting at. “Shikamaru is my brother.” As Hinata sketches out what she remembers of the seal, Shikako continues to describe the village. Innocuous things, but ones that highlight the differences. “…and Chiyako-chan taught Hanabi-chan to make friendship bracelets the other day.” He and Hinata stare in astonishment. Shikako just smiles again. “They’re doing well – they’ll probably be on a team together.” Shino is pretty sure Chiya-chan was planning on an in-clan apprenticeship. He sips his tea. This world is different, but it isn’t bad, and he is curious to find out more while waiting to make it the rest of the way home. Maybe he can bring back a plan to make Chiya-chan smile when they return.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.


End file.
